Forever Young, covered by Sydney band, Youth Group, is an intergenerational text that provides opportunities to explore faith in everyday language of popular culture.
The music video, released this year, shows teenage skateboarders taking part in a contest at the Coca Cola factory at Frenches Forest, Sydney Australia, footage originally shown on Australian youth show GTK (Get To Know) in 1975.
You can see the music video on RAGE, the Australian ABC’s equivalent of MTV on Saturday and Sunday mornings. More people see the video on YouTube.
What’s made the track so popular? The Youth Group recorded “Forever Young” for the third series of The O.C., a music-saturated teen US television drama series, and suddenly found themselves with an international hit, published around the world on The O.C. Mix 5 and now as an EP, Forever Young.
The original song, written by Marian Gold, performed by German synth band Alphaville in 1982 and re-released on the 1989 CD, Forever Young, picked up the uncertainty experienced by Gen X teenagers as they faced a world in danger of nuclear holocaust.
Let’s dance in style,
let’s dance for a while.
Heaven can wait,
we’re only watching the sky,
Hoping for the best
but expecting the worst.
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young
or let us live forever.
Forever young,
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever?
As I watch this video and listen to the song with my family and friends, I’ll be exploring questions relating to youth, aging and hopes for the future. I’ll be inviting Gen Xers to talk about their experiences of youth in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the realities of their lives now. In turn, teenagers will have their unique perspectives on the world of the twenty first century and what it might mean to become adults with a future.
The conversation could be rounded out with a reference to Bob Dylan’s 1973 song, “Forever Young”, first recorded on Planet Waves. It would be good to hear from people who despite their physical limitations can look back at their lives saying they’ve grown up to be true, courageous, upright and strong, living with joyful hearts, forever young.
Having explored the songs and video, it’s time to introduce a new intergenerational text for conversation, Ecclesiastes 12:1-2, paraphrased here in The Message.
Honour and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
Elaine Graham, Heather Walton and Frances Ward in 2005 published the first of two books on theological reflection, examining seven models or types with reference to origins, application and future development. Theological Reflection: Methods, was published by SCM Press and is available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. Note that some prints have the title “Theological Reflection”, others the title “Theological Reflections.”
Elaine Graham is Samuel Ferguson Professor of Social and Pastoral Theology at University of Manchester. She has also published Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty (2002), and Representations of the Post/Human: Monsters, Aliens and Others in Popular Culture (2002).
Heather Walton is a lecturer in Practical Theology at University of Glasgow.
Graham, Walton and Ward identify the tasks of theological reflection as:
1. Induction and nurture of members - what does it mean to be a Christian?
2. Building and sustaining the community of faith - what does it mean to be the ‘body of Christ’ in this place and time?
3. Communicating the faith to a wider culture. How is God encountered and proclaimed in the public space?
The authors dedicate a chapter to each of seven theological methods or types of theological reflection:
1. Theology by Heart: The Living Human Document
Inner experience is expressed in living human documents through journal-writing, personal letters, verbatim accounts of pastoral encounters, spiritual autobiography. The authors draw on Gillie Bolton, Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet, William James, and Frances Ward.
2. Speaking in Parables: Constructive Narrative Theology
Participants construct meaningful stories out of the varied circumstances of their lives, connecting with the stories told in Scriptures. Through diversity and particularity story tellers testify to a God who is known through the stories we tell. The authors draw on the work of Alicia Ostriker, Rebecca Chopp, Herbert Anderson and Edward Foley, and Paul Ricoeur.
5. Speaking of God in Public: Correlation
Theology publicly engages with contemporary culture in its philosophical, aesthetic, political or scientific forms. This model incorporates a range of approaches, from those who see engagement with culture necessary for taking the gospel to the world, to those who would expect two-way dialogue in which Christian thought and practice may learn from contemporary perspectives. The authors draw on Friedrich Schleirmacher, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Paul Tillich, David Tracey, James and Evelyn Whitehead.
7. Theology in the Vernacular: Local Theologies
The Christian gospel is expressed in local culture, time and space, embodied in a people who express faith iin their particular context. This model pays attention to theological motifs in popular culture, the everyday language and symbols of ordinary people. The authors draw on Gerard Arbuckle, Hyun Kyung Chung, Timothy Gorringe, Barbara Kingsolver and Robert Schreiter.
I’ve just discovered Common Theology, a quarterly theology journal published here in Australia by an ecumenical team. The editor describes the magazine as a “Lay Ministry of the Australian Church committed to the demystification of theology, a forum for theological views in plain language on matters which affect the daily lives of Australians.”
The first edition was published in 2002. The most recent archived copy (Summer 2006 in pdf format) has articles on intelligent design, Ted Peters and Postmodernism, The World Social Forum, stolen wages. There’s a book review of John Finney’s book, Emerging Mission.
Jesus left and returned to his hometown with his disciples. 2 The next Sabbath he taught in the Jewish meeting place. Many of the people who heard him were amazed and asked, “How can he do all this? Where did he get such wisdom and the power to work these miracles? 3 Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren’t James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don’t his sisters still live here in our town?” The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing.
But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family.” 5 Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them. 6 He was surprised that the people did not have any faith.
Jesus taught in all the neighboring villages.
7 Then he called together his twelve apostles and sent them out two by two with power over evil spirits. 8 He told them, “You may take along a walking stick. But don’t carry food or a traveling bag or any money. 9 It’s all right to wear sandals, but don’t take along a change of clothes. 10 When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. 11 If any place won’t welcome you or listen to your message, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”
12 The apostles left and started telling everyone to turn to God. 13 They forced out many demons and healed a lot of sick people by putting olive oil on them.
Reading this narrative as an expatriate colours my perspective. I grew up in a highly-connected rural area in the south of New Zealand in which strong relational networks provided strength for continuing the status quo. I knew that if I could just fit in with one of the clearly delineated streams of society that I would be fine. I could join the conservative Christian ’salt of the earth’ group, many of whom were related to me. I could join the rugby, racing and beer stream, many of whom were related to me. Only problem was I didn’t quite fit in either of those groups. And so I left and went North, looking for places and roles in which I could be myself without looking over my shoulder or having others look over my shoulder.
Now I’m in Australia, a long way from the networks I helped develop in New Zealand. I’ve come to realise that recognition of capacity starts at home, right with me. It’s my own fears that lead to limitations, as well as my natural liabilities of course. The voices that say “Who do you think you are?” are generally from tapes that I play, not other people.
But occasionally I do come across people who seem to project their own limited thinking on to others. “Because I can’t imagine myself trying that, how could you?”. I find Jesus’ instructions here so helpful. Shake the dust off. Do not take those people’s limitations with you. Do not replay their pettiness in your future undertakings.
I spent last night at the Uniting Church’s national Assembly, held at University of Queensland in Brisbane. I was part of a team presenting a report and proposal relating to ’specified ministries’ in the future of the Uniting Church in Australia. We proposed that we simplify the ways in which we appoint people to non-ordained ministries in the Uniting Church. Instead of having lay pastors, community ministers, youth workers, lay assistants, and many other non-recognised positions, we suggested that we have just one category, ‘pastor’, alongside the ordained minister of the Word and deacon.
We’re suggesting that we lower the bar for people entering the ministry of ‘pastor’, rather than requiring a year of discernment before someone can be commissioned. At the same time, we’re suggesting raising the bar on competence so that people grow in character and skill during their time working with the Church.
We began our report with a video role play in which Ennis and I presented the scenarios of Helen and Gary in 2012. Here’s the script…
Helen
Hi. I’m Helen, and it’s the year 2012. I’ve been a pastor with the Uniting Church for four years now.
It all started when I applied for a position working with a regional church, focusing on youth, children and families.
When I was interviewed for the position I was able to demonstrate the skills I brought to the job. I had some experience in the field from my time working as a teacher aid and school chaplain.
In the first month I attended a course on ethics run by the Presbytery. I followed that up in a small group working through Uniting Church ethos and the Basis of Union.
The good thing is the church is helping me with a training program and a budget to match. We’ve put together a performance development plan using competencies designed for my kind of position. Each year we’ve identified skills I can work on, like keeping up to date on family systems, risk management and Biblical studies. This year I trained as a coach so I could support volunteers.
My supervisor’s a deacon working in a community family centre, and she’s helping me explore my sense of long term call to the wider church. In fact this week the Presbytery signed me up to begin a period of discernment, looking at ordination.
It’s been four years of growth for me and the church. I’ve appreciated being recognised and supported by the Presbytery. And it has been good having colleagues with whom I can be accountable for ministry.
Gary
Gidday I’m Gary, in the year 2012. I’ve been a Pastor here at Warambah Uniting Church since I left my job as draughtsman three years ago.
I do a fair bit of preaching, leading of worship, looking after community funerals. I’m supporting local leaders as they carry out their week-to-week ministry. After some training through Coolamon College I was accredited to lead communion and baptism.
A lot of my time is spent connecting the church with the local community. We’ve had conversations with the local mining companies and we’re looking at the possibility of me spending a day a week providing support for mining families.
The good thing about being appointed as a Pastor is the support from the Presbytery. Just last week my supervisor helped me identify the skills I’ll need to develop for working in the mining environment. I’m doing a bit of reading and attending a couple of courses in August.
I’m part of a support group of other people in ministry, though most of our meetings are held on the phone. I keep in touch with the Resource minister for our area. Having a broadband internet connection has opened up new possibilities for coaching.
Being a Pastor has been a positive experience. I’ve appreciated being recognised and supported by the Presbytery. And it has been good having colleagues with whom I can be accountable for ministry.
First match in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup ended in a resounding win for the All Blacks - 32 All Blacks, 12 Wallabies. So much for the Channel Seven advertising, suggesting that the All Blacks are just fruit (Kiwis) that can be squashed. And so much for the Channel Seven advertisement portraying the All Blacks performing their haka with handbags on shoulders. The Wallabies were bagged tonight.
Ennis and I have launched a blog dedicated to the bard, William Shakespeare, and his plays in film. Ennis, my wife, teaches English at secondary school level and over time has used a number of Shakespeare-related films in the classroom. ‘Shakespeare in Film’ will explore the range of DVDs available to teachers. We’ve started with Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 classic, “William Shakespeare’s Romeo+Juliet”. We’ll cover other classics directed by Kenneth Branagh and so on, but also spin-offs such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Shakespeare in Love, West Side Story, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Tom Brokaw, NBC television journalist, recently gave the commencement speech at Stanford University’s graduation. It’s been captured on YouTube in two parts: one and two. Brokaw would have been aware that Stanford has produced a high proportion of innovators in the digital world, including Google founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page. He spoke to 1700 students and perhaps 16,000 family members and friends. The full text is available at Stanford News Service.
Here’s some short excerpts from Brokaw’s speech.
You have so many choices and so many opportunities. You are the generation of a breathtaking transformational technology that for all of its possibility is really hard to believe still is in its seminal stages. It is the single most important technological development of my lifetime. It is limited only by our imaginations. It is a powerful tool across the arc of possibilities. You live in a world of personal computers and search engines, e-mail and network, capacity and storage, research and retrieval, entertainment and commerce, chat rooms and websites, MySpace and Spaceport.
You’re manned with PDAs that take pictures, remember your tastes, indulge your whimsies and play your favorite tunes. You have video on demand and songs on a chip and games on a screen. You have bloggers that blabber and blogs that enlighten. You’re exposed to hi-def and lowbrow. You are the masters of a new universe whose boundaries are yet to be determined. But it’s also important to remember that it will do us little good to wire the world if we short-circuit our souls.
So, welcome to a world of perpetual contradictions, welcome to a world of unintended consequences and unexpected realities. Welcome to a world in which war is not a video game, . in which genocide and ancient hatreds are not eliminated with a delete button. You won’t find the answer to global poverty in Tools or Help. You cannot fix the environment by hitting the Insert bar. You cannot take your place in the long line of those who came before you simply by sitting in front of a screen or at a keyboard.
Brokaw’s words are a needed reminder that there is much more to life than sitting in front of a keyboard and computer screen. Mind you, the same can be said about sitting in front of television screens or cameras. This morning, on my way to the office, one of my tyres was punctured and blew out. Fortunately I was able to stop quickly, pull into a bus stop and change the tyre. The welcome addition to my day was the walk from Bridgestone Tyre centre to my office. I was able to enjoy the beautiful Brisbane day, sampling an informal game of soccer, talking to a woman looking for instructions to the hospital, and finding the back route behind the croquet club. Slowing down reminded me of the need to chill out a bit, not to stress so much. I resisted the temptation to capture a few images on the mobile phone camera. After all, I don’t need to wait until my car is incapacitated again before I walk the neighbourhood!
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is calling for volunteers to live in a house somewhat different to Channel Ten’s Big Brother House. ABC Television’s answer to Big Brother is The Abbey, 33 days and nights for five women, produced as a three part series. Applications close on Friday July 7.
This is no invitation to live in a glasshouse. Residents will be invited to explore spirituality, search for truth, and put into practice disciplines of life with the support of personal ’sister’, rather than under the oversight of an unseen ‘big brother’.
Imagine a world offering peace and tranquillity, and you’re there to contemplate the deeper side of life….no blaring phones, no family dramas, no frustrating work… just you and your desire to discover life’s meaning.
Sounds too good to be true? Welcome to The Abbey.
ABC TV is looking for five women for a new 3 part series. Take up the challenge to live the life of a contemplative nun for 33 days and nights - one day for every year of Christ’s life.
You will leave behind the hurly-burly of modern life to embark upon a search for meaning, spirituality and self behind the walls of an enclosed order.
Immerse yourself in the world of The Abbey and live by The Rule of Silence and Obedience. Take a leap of faith and discover things about yourself and life that you never knew. Learn what the spirit of community living is all about as you share the nuns daily routine of prayer, farm work, craft and domestic tasks. Throughout the challenge of living in this other world, you will have a Sister-mentor to listen, support and guide you.
Will this life hold any relevance to you as a contemporary Australian woman? Will spiritual contemplation and prayer have the power to transform your life or will you find it too hard a cross to bear?
It looks as though St George’s days are numbered. The Church of England at their General Synod are likely to be presented with a private member’s motion proposing that the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledge St Alban as the patron saint of England.
Philip Chester, vicar at St Matthew’s, Westminster, is arguing that St George’s image is far too militaristic, associated as it is with crusades against Muslims in the middle ages. There’s been some controversy over the association of the St George Cross with England’s football campaign in the FIFA World Cup. See the story at Duncan’s Print.
On top of that, there’s some doubt as to the actual existence of a man behind the legend of St George. What is clear is that the legend of St George and the Dragon is as much fiction as is The Da Vinci Code. St George, who is reputed to have died in 303 CE, is regarded as an icon of the struggle against the persecution instigated by Emperor Diocletian.
But what would it mean if St Alban took his place? St Alban, a Roman soldier who was killed for his role in sheltering a Christian priest, has more substance in the history books. However not too many people in England would be keen to replace the St George Cross with the St Alban Cross, a yellow diagonal cross on a light blue background (same colours as Sweden and same shape as Scotland). What would that do to the Union Jack?
Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
The music video, released this year, shows teenage skateboarders taking part in a contest at the Coca Cola factory at Frenches Forest, Sydney Australia, footage originally shown on Australian youth show GTK (Get To Know) in 1975.
Let’s dance in style,
Elaine Graham, Heather Walton and Frances Ward in 2005 published the first of two books on theological reflection, examining seven models or types with reference to origins, application and future development. Theological Reflection: Methods, was published by 
and 
Philip Chester, vicar at St Matthew’s, Westminster, is arguing that St George’s image is far too militaristic, associated as it is with crusades against Muslims in the middle ages. There’s been some controversy over the association of the St George Cross with England’s football campaign in the FIFA World Cup. See the story at 
But what would it mean if St Alban took his place? St Alban, a Roman soldier who was killed for his role in sheltering a Christian priest, has more substance in the history books. However not too many people in England would be keen to replace the St George Cross with the St Alban Cross, a yellow diagonal cross on a light blue background (same colours as Sweden and same shape as Scotland). What would that do to the Union Jack?
